CD

Clannad is made up of singer-harpist Maire Brennan, her brother Ciaran, and their twin uncles, Padraig and Noel Duggan. They all hail from a Donegal gaeltacht (gaelic-speaking region) and began playing music in the Brennan family pub. At first, they were more appreciated on the Continent than at home, as Irish-language singing was not then in vogue, but are now one of Ireland's most-beloved bands. These live performances date from 1996 and prove beyond any doubt that the group sounds as polished live as they do on studio albums. The material covers 30 years of repertoire; Dulaman, which is about gathering seaweed on the shore, dates from the very beginning of their career, when they were still primarily an acoustic band with slight jazzy edge. The now-hackneyed Theme From Harry's Game recalls the ethereal, gooey excesses of the "Celtic Twilight" marketing concept--it has not worn nearly so well. --Christina Roden